Lando Norris is the Formula 1 world champion – when does he begin his title defence?
Ad
The British superstar topped the podium following a confident drive in Abu Dhabi to cement his maiden title victory at the weekend, but his fans are already desperate to see him back out on track.
Fortunately for them (and less so for Norris), the Formula 1 off-season is notoriously short. The 2026 driver line-up will enjoy the rest of December jetting off around the globe, before returning to training ahead of testing.
Pre-season testing will span three separate spells in 2026 prior to another 24-race F1 calendar which will include a trip to Madrid at the expense of Imola.
RadioTimes.com brings you the key dates for your diary looking ahead to the 2026 Formula 1 season.
When does the F1 season start in 2026?
The first Formula 1 Grand Prix of the 2026 season takes place at 4am on Sunday 8th March 2026 in Melbourne, Australia.
Fans will have their first chance of witnessing the finished F1 cars going around the circuit during practice on Friday 6th March.
However, for a sneak peak of the 2026 cars, their drivers and the first concrete clues ahead of the campaign, fans can tune in for the first of two public pre-season testing weeks live from Bahrain starting on Wednesday 11th February 2026.
There will be a pre-season test in Barcelona on the last weekend of January, though no media or public will be able to attend.
Want to see this content?
We're not able to show you this content from Google reCAPTCHA. Please sign out of Contentpass to view this content.
Michael Potts is the Sport Editor for Radio Times, covering all of the biggest sporting events across the globe with previews, features, interviews and more. He has worked for Radio Times since 2019 and previously worked on the sport desk at Express.co.uk after starting his career writing features for What Culture. He achieved a first-class degree in Sports Journalism in 2014.
The best gifts arrive every week and with this special offer you can save 65% (full price £320) on weekly copies of Radio Times and full access to the Radio Times app for your special someone.
